Professor Behrens has been recognised today in The Blavatnik Family Foundation and the New York Academy of Sciences Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists, the largest unrestricted cash prizes available to scientists under the age of 42. Despite being still in the early stages of his career, his research is already changing science and our understanding of the world.
Being a scientist is like staying a kid all your life. Every day is an adventure, and some days you discover something so cool you want to tell your mum about it. I feel very privileged to do it for a living. It is wonderful that the Blavatnik Family Foundation is supporting UK science, and I am completely thrilled and honoured to be this year's Laureate in Life Sciences - Tim Behrens
Professor Timothy Behrens receives a Laureateship worth £75,000 in the Life Sciences category. He has developed innovative models for mapping the brain's electrical signals that have significant implications for brain surgery, the treatment of mental disorders, and artificial intelligence.
Professor Kevin Talbot, Head of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, said: 'Tim Behrens is a tremendous asset to Oxford Neuroscience and we are very proud to have him as a member of NDCN. He is at the centre of Oxford’s growing reputation for computational neuroscience, which is rapidly becoming a major area of strategic importance.'
Dr Brooke Grindlinger of The New York Academy of Sciences said: 'Through a rigorous combination of applied mathematics, behavioral neuroscience, and neuroimaging, Professor Tim Behrens' work has transformed how we study the brain. From creating and distributing widely-used analytical methods to helping inform artificial intelligence algorithms, Prof. Behrens is at the forefront of technical and philosophical discovery about how our brains make sense of the world around us'.
Sir Leonard Blavatnik, Founder and Chairman of Access Industries and the Blavatnik Family Foundation, and member of the President's Council of the New York Academy of Sciences, said: 'The UK has cultivated much of the world's leading scientific talent. We are incredibly proud to elevate these select scientists to an international stage that will enable them to be recognised globally, prepare them to become world-class leaders in their scientific fields, and propel the wheel of innovation and societal progress.'
In their third year, the 2020 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the UK received 80 nominations from 41 academic and research institutions across the UK.
The 2020 Blavatnik Awards in the UK Laureates and Finalists will be honoured at a ceremony at Banqueting House in London on 4 March 2020.
On 5 March 2020, the honourees will present their research with a series of short, interactive lectures at a public symposium.